A Symphony of Sheep Bells on summer pastures in Turkey
Apr 27th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
A Symphony of Sheep Bells on summer pastures in Turkey by Listening Earth
The narrow valley floors near Demerkazik in the Aladağlar Range in Turkey are used as summer pastures for sheep and cattle.
Exploring one valley, we came upon a flock of sheep and their shepherds – a family and their Kangal dogs.
The sound of the sheep’s bells echoing around the rock walls was hypnotic and entrancing, an extraordinary acoustic effect.
You’ll hear the flock grazing, pulling up grass, even peeing! The Kangals occasionally nipped at a sheep’s heels, more for their own entertainment than anything else, we felt. Eventually, the whole flock move off, seemingly leaving their echo behind.
We wondered how much the shepherd family appreciated the musical quality of the sheep bells. We could understand they may be oblivious to it as it pervaded their every day. However each bell was tempered sympathetically, and when heard together created a magical sound – so we hoped it was more than just pragmatic, but intentionally beautiful, as it was to us coming upon it afresh.
As an aside to this, Kangal dogs have a fiercesome reputation, being trained as sheepdogs to confront any intruder, and the only breed of dog capable of taking on wolves if necessary. Even the Turks are wary of them, and we had been apprehensive of coming across them, particularly while on foot recording in the early hours of the morning.
This was our first encounter with them, and while I’m sure they could be intimidating, this particular pair of Kangal seemed anything but. One had the traditional spiked collar around his neck (to protect from wolves), but seemed most content to snooze in the sun. Another had no ears, again a protection from attack, but kept nuzzling up for affection. So I spent a little time patting him, appeasing the Spirit of Kangal for the remainder of our time in Turkey!
Update: This symphony of sheep bells is featured as the final track on our album: ‘Echoes in a Secret Gorge‘. To read more about the wonderful birdsong we recorded at Demerkazik Gorge, and indeed the landscape itself, read here.
The album is available on CD or by direct digital download from our website: www.listeningearth.com
Here is a sound sample:
Established in 1993 by nature sound recordist Andrew Skeoch and photographer Sarah Koschak, Listening Earth offers a range of beautiful nature sound recordings from around the world.
"Our albums feature only the sounds of nature as you would hear in the wild - no music or other distractions. Recorded in often remote and pristine locations, they bring you the relaxing and beautiful sounds of our living planet. Listen, and let our recordings take you there."
This is a wonderful recording! Thanks again for sharing your work! I like the ethereal echoes. Occasional dog barking reminds that these are real world sounds.
Stunning photographs, and I love the recording of the bells – yes, they definitely have a hypnotic effect. I almost feel like I’m there, too!
Fantastic work. Many thanks for sharing it which explains a lot about the wildlife there. Wish you both all the very best.
That was absolutely beautiful. I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog and got to experience hearing sheep bells. I’ve never heard anything like that and can only imagine how captivating the experience would be “live” and in person – and to then cap it all off by patting one of the fierce, earless Kaguls
How wonderful! Thanks for the sharing this. Thoroughly enjoyed!
Hello and many thanks for sharing such a beautiful and unique sound. Such music!
I could listen to this for hours. God bless you.
[...] I’ve written previously of our concern regarding Turkey’s fearsome sheepdogs, the Kangal. They’re big, intimidating and unpredictable. However the canine now trying to eat our tires was no Kangal, but a scrappy, Terrier-like object. [...]
Beautiful. I closed my eyes and almost felt like I was there. I bet the shepherd family, and the dogs can tell if a sheep is missing or getting to far away or sick and not moving. All by the sound of bells.
[...] Update: We have now published an album from the recordings we made at Demerkazik, which we’re entitled: ‘Echoes in a Secret Gorge’. The excerpt from that first morning’s dawn chorus is featured, as is the ibex barking, Alpine Swifts and the rarely heard call of a Golden Eagle. As a bonus, we’ve also included the mesmerizingly beautiful sounds of the sheep bells, which we wrote about here. [...]